Car body bolster center plate assembly

ABSTRACT

An integral, preferably cast steel center plate includes a generally rectangular flat base portion defining spaced mounting flanges on opposite edges. A central circular boss extends from one face of the base, for engagement with a mating center plate bowl, and a pair of beams extending from the one face between the mounting flanges on opposite sides of the boss. In assembly to a car underframe, the mounting plate flanges are bolted to the longitudinal supporting flanges of the center sill with the beams stiffening the center plate for better resistance of eccentric forces.

United States Patent 1 June 20, 1972 Fillion [54] CAR BODY BOLSTER CENTER PLATE ASSEMBLY [72] Inventor: Stanley H. Fillion, Wilmette, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Dresser Industries, Inc., Dallas, Tex.

[22] Filed: Aug. 31, 1970 [21] App]. No.: 68,293

[52] U.S. Cl. ..l05/199 C, 105/228, 308/137 [51] Int.Cl. ..B6lf l/00,B6lf5/l6,Fl6c 17/00 [58] Field oiSearch ..l05/l99 C, 228; 308/137 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,965,045 12/1960 Shafer.; 105/199 C 3,365,250 1/l968 Bankes.... 105/199 C 2,960,042 ll/l960 Shafer..... 105/199 C 3,422,722 Stark 105/199 C Primary Examiner-Arthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner-Howard Beltran Attorney-Robert W. Mayer, Thomas P. Hubbard, Jr., Daniel Rubin, Raymond T. Majesko, Roy L. Van Winkle, William E. Johnson, Jr. and Eddie E. Scott [5 7] ABSTRACT An integral, preferably cast steel center plate includes a generally rectangular flat base portion defining spaced mounting flanges on opposite edges. A central circular boss extends from one face of the base, for engagement with a mating center plate bowl, and a pair of beams extending from the one face between the mounting flanges on opposite sides of the boss. In assembly to a car underframe, the mounting plate flanges are bolted to the longitudinal supporting flanges of the center sill with the beams stiffening the center plate for better resistance of eccentric forces.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDmzo m2 3. 670, 662

sum 1 or 2 STANLEY H. F! LLION INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The field of art to which the invention pertains includes the art of railway rolling stock and more specifically to a car body underframe for mounting onto the bolster of a supporting truck.

It is conventional that the entire car weight is carried on two circular center plates secured to two body bolsters and which engage two mating female bowls on cooperating truck bolsters. As a consequence, the center plates must endure not only the weight of car and lading distributed over their engaging surfaces under standing conditions, but also the shifting concentration and dynamic augment of these loads with associated wear encountered under rolling in-service conditions. In accordance with the prior art a preferred construction has been the combination of a fabricated or cast steel center filler with or without draft lugs, a through bottom cover plate and a separate center plate bolted or welded to the bottom cover plate. This permits easy removal of the center plate when it has become worn or cracked and over the years has been found to provide a center plate life expectancy of about to years.

With the recent advent of higher, longer and heavier cars for increased loading capacity, it has been found that such prior designs of center plates have been unable to withstand the greater loading forces imposed. Center plates under these conditions have been generally characterized by reduced life expectancies on the orderof l to 2 years, rendering maintenance and car downtime costs unduly excessive if not prohibitive. From the standpoint of minimizing down-time and repair costs, it is desirable to provide a replacement center plate which may be readily attached to the existing body bolster-center sill structure, which will compensate for ruptured parts such as center fillers which cannot be readily replaced, and which is rugged enough to produce a repair assembly having a significant life expectancy for the extant load conditions.

SUMMARY. OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an improved center plate, particularly adapted as a replacement center plate for use with railway cars body bolster-center sill assemblies. The plate is designed to sustain greater forces and thereby to assume, in repair situations, some of the load sustaining functions of the ruptured original structure.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel center plate particularly adapted as a repair center plate for pre-existing center sill-body bolster assemblies.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel center plate designed to resist eccentric forces due to impact and lateral parallelogramming forces normally sustained to a larger extent by other structural components.

A further object of this invention is to provide a center plate readily adapted for attachment to a preexisting structure.

These objects are accomplished with an integral center plate defining parallel mounting flanges, to be secured to the parallel supporting flanges of the center sill, and beam mem bers extending between the mounting flanges and on opposite sides of the central circular boss provided for mating engagement with the truck bolster center plate. The beams stiffen the leading and trailing edges of the center plate, to resist eccentric forces due to end impact, and stiffen the mounting flanges and the flanges of the sill to which the plate is attached.

The novel features of the invention, as well as additional objects and advantages thereof, will be understood more fully from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION'OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the assembly of a center sill-body bolster-center plate assembly for a railway boxcar;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary bottom view of the assembly of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the center plate included in the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in a longitudinal vertical plane of the body bolster, as viewed along the line 44 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in a vertical plane along the center line of the center sill, as viewed along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assembly of a center sill 10, body bolster l1, and center plate 12, for a railroad car such as a house boxcar. The center sill and body bolster are fabricated as a unitary structure, by welding for example, while the center plate, which may be a replacement center plate, is bolted to this structure.

The center sill 10 may be conventionally formed as a rolled steel section having a generally U-shaped cross section which is defined by parallel vertical side walls 13 and 14 joined by a horizontal top wall 15 and having outward extending lateral flanges 16 and 17 joined to the lower edges of the side walls 13 and 14 respectively.

The body bolster 11, which is illustrated fragmentarily in FIG. 1, includes a top plate 20 lying above the top wall 15 of the center sill, parallel vertical plates 21 extending laterally from the side walls of the center sill, and a bottom cover, plate 22. The bottom plate 22 is joined to th-elower edges of the vertical plates 21, and extends across the under faces of the sill flanges 16 and 17 in engagement therewith. As shown in FIG. 1, the body bolster includes side bearing supports 23 and 24 mounted on the bottom cover plate 22.

The boxcar body, of course, overlies the body bolstercenter sill structure; and the center plate 12 is mounted on the underside of this bolster-sill structure to support the car body on the car truck. The center plate :is an integral member, preferably formed of cast steel, and includes a generally square, flat base portion formed to define mounting or bolting flanges l8 and 19 along the sideedges thereof, and having a central circular boss 30 and front and rear beam members 31 and 32 extending from the lower face thereof. These beam members are identical in configuration, and the reference to front and rear has reference only to the orientation of the assembly as viewed in FIG. 1. A transverse hole 35 extending through the plate centrally of the boss 30 is provided for accommodating a king pin extending upwardly from the truck center plate to maintain vertical alignment of the boss 30 and mating bowl of a truck center plate.

As best seen in FIG. 3, the mounting flanges 28 and 29 are defined by mounting faces on the upper face of the center plate which are preferably machined surfaces separated by a shallow recess 33 extending from the front to the rear edges of the plate. This arrangement provides for. good fit-up of the center plate to the bolster-sill structure. Four longitudinally spaced bolt holes are provided in each mounting flange. The center plate then is designed to be bolted to the support flanges l6 and 17 of the center sill, through the immediate structure of the body bolster cover plate 22, with the center plate supporting the assembly at the center sill flanges apart from any auxiliary sill structure.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the beam members 31 and 32 extends transversely across the center plate between the side edges and between the mounting flanges 18 and 19. The central portions of the beam members are acuate or curved as viewed from the bottom of the plate, following the contour of the central boss 30 and defining arcuate recesses or grooves 37 and 38 between the boss and the beam members 31 and 32 respectively, for accommodating the annular lip of a mating truck bolster center plate. The ends ofthe beam members are disposed generally transverse to the mounting flanges; and each end at a beam member is disposed between two adjacent bolt holes 34. With this arrangement, each beam member 31 or 32 is, in effect, securely attached at its ends to the center sill support flanges 16 and 17 which are spanned by the beam member. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the beam members have a greater depth at their center portions and taper to a lesser depth at their ends to provide the desired beam function.

In the assembly illustrated in the drawings, the center plate 12 is bolted to the assembly of the center sill l and body bolster 11, which is a typical assembly method particularly where the center plate 12 is a replacement center plate. In some assemblies with which the center plate 12 may be used, additional structural members such as center fills may have been provided within the center sill to provide greater resistance to forces tending to effect parallelogramming of the sill structure. A center plate according to the invention provides, in combination with new spacer plates, additional resistance to these lateral eccentric forces, and reduces the extent of repair or replacement of such additional strengthening structure which may have ruptured.

In other forms of assemblies for which the center plate according to the invention is particularly adapted as a replacement center plate, the original center sill-body bolster structure may have included support structure within the center sill to which the original center plate was secured either by bolting or welding around all four edges thereof. The securing of the center plate at the front and rear edges thereof, in the original structure, provides for the absorption of the eccentric forces imposed on the assembly when railroad cars are impacted with each other, for example. At the time when replacement of the center plate becomes necessary, the above-mentioned support structure to which the front and rear edges of the original center plate were attached may have been ruptured, and are therefore no longer suitable for supporting the front and rear edges of the center plate for the intended purpose of absorbing these forces.

The center plate according to the invention, with the integral beam members, resists these eccentric forces even though it is bolted only along the side edges. This is accomplished by the beam embers which are securely anchored at their ends to the center'sill support flanges through the adjacent pairs of bolts, with the beam members minimizing the flexing of the center plate between the mounting flanges 28 and 29 and absorbing the torque as beam action.

Actually, it may be impracticable either from the standpoint of expense, or from the standpoint of effective structural repair, or both to reconstruct the original structure. Use of the center plate, according to the invention, then, facilitates effective repair, minimizes the expense of repair, and shortens the down-time for the equipment.

What has been described is a center plate which is particularly adapted for replacement use with a center sill-body bolster assembly of a railroad car, which is adapted to be bolted to the center sill flanges along two parallel edges only, which is designed for a good fit-up with the center sill support flanges or associated structure, and which is designed to sustain forces normally sustained to a larger extent by original assembly structure which has been damaged and which cannot be effectively repaired.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A center plate for use with a railroad car body bolstercenter sill assembly comprising an integral member formed of a generally rectangular, flat base portion having a circular boss and a pair of beam members extending from one face thereof curving about said circular boss in spaced relation thereto and extending between said mounting flanges on opposite sides of said boss, a portion of said curved beam members extending below said circular boss, two opposite edges of said base portion defining parallel mounting flanges for said plate;

said circular boss being disposed centrally of said one face for engagement with a mating center plate bowl portion;

the other face of said base portion having a continuous recess between said mounting flanges.

2. A center plate as set forth in claim 1 wherein said beam members have a maximum depth intermediate their ends, being tapered to a lesser depth at the ends disposed at said mounting flanges.

3. A center plate as set forth in claim 1 wherein said base portion is provided with transverse mounting holes spaced along said mounting flanges;

and wherein each of the ends of said beam members is disposed between a pair of said mounting holes.

4. A center plate as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plate includes two beam members curved about the center of said circular boss; the intermediate portions of said beam members being disposed adjacent to opposite edges of said base portion; and the ends of said beams being disposed inwardly from the said last named opposite edges.

5. In combination, a body bolster-center plate assembly comprising,

an elongated center sill of generally U-shaped cross section defining downwardly extending supporting flanges;

a transverse body supporting bolster rigidly secured to said sill;

a center plate comprising a generally rectangular, flat base portion having a circular boss and a pair of beam members extending from one face thereof; said base portion being dimensioned to span the center sill supporting flanges, and defining mounting flanges on opposite edges thereof for engagement with said supporting flanges; said beam members extending between said supporting flanges and a portion thereof below said circular boss; and said circular boss being disposed centrally of said plate;

the other face of said base portion having a continuous recess between said mounting flanges.

32 3? 1" UNYlE-D STATES PATENJTOFFZCE I CERTEFXCATE 0 C R EC N Patent No.5 3, 70,5 Dated June 20, 1972 mntms t y illion It is certified that errqr appears in the above-identified patent and that 6316 Letters Pa tent are hereby cprrected as shovm below:

Claim 5, line 16, before "plate" i r lsert -ce n;t'er--.

Signedan d: sealed this 12th day of March 1974.-

(SEAL) Attestz EDWARD M.FLEZTCHEVR,JR.I c. MARSHALL DANN Attesting'Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. A center plate for use with a railroad car body bolstercenter sill assembly comprising an integral member formed of a generally rectangular, flat base portion having a circular boss and a pair of beam members extending from one face thereof curving about said circular boss in spaced relation thereto and extending between said mounting flanges on opposite sides of said boss, a portion of said curved beam members extending below said circular boss, two opposite edges of said base portion defining parallel mounting flanges for said plate; said circular boss being disposed centrally of said one face for engagement with a mating center plate bowl portion; the other face of said base portion having a continuous recess between said mounting flanges.
 2. A center plate as set forth in claim 1 wherein said beam members have a maximum depth intermediate their ends, being tapered to a lesser depth at the ends disposed at said mounting flanges.
 3. A center plate as set forth in claim 1 wherein said base portion is provided with transverse mounting holes spaced along said mounting flanges; and wherein each of the ends of said beam members is disposed between a pair of said mounting holes.
 4. A center plate as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plate includes two beam members curved about the center of said circular boss; the intermediate portions of said beam members being disposed adjacent to opposite edges of said base portion; and the ends of said beams being disposed inwardly from the said last named opposite edges.
 5. In combination, a body bolster-center plate assembly comprising, an elongated center sill of generally U-shaped cross section defining downwardly extending supporting flanges; a transverse body supporting bolster rigidly secured to said sill; a center plate comprising a generally rectangular, flat base portion having a circular boss and a pair of beam members extending from one face thereof; said base portion being dimensioned to span the center sill supporting flanges, and defining mounting flanges on opposite edges thereof for engagement with said supporting flanges; said beam members extending between said supporting flanges and a portion thereof below said circular boss; and said circular boss being disposed centrally of said center plate; the other face of said base portion having a continuous recess between said mounting flanges. 